Clothes-pin.



J. H. RUSSELL.

CLOTHES ilN.

APFLICATION FILED mvaa. H111.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918..

Jiimes I1. flussel/ *Wvw 20005 JAMES H. RUSSELL, or

MANIS'IEE, 'MICHIGAN, ASSIGN'OB OF ONE-HALF TO RAMSDELL,- 0F MA1 TISTEE,-MICHIGAN.

Lnwrs s.

' CLOTHES-PIN.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. RUssELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manistee, 'in the county of -Manistee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes- Pins, of which the following is a specification, reference-being'had therein to the accompanying drawing. I i

This invention relates primarily to wooden ClOtllBS-PlIlS'itIld ha special refer ence to ping which are'reinforced to prevent splitting; I a

A principal object of the invention "is to associate with a clothes-pin made, say, of

wood, means which will'prevent the normal" tendency of the pinto split at the head-por tion tl1BI'GOf.'

Another object of the invention is to provide a wooden clothes-pin with a reinforcing device, preferably of metal, which is so constructed" as to embrace the pin along 7 lines at rightangles to the'slot'in which the device is disposed and in a direction par in practical use, possess a high degree of strength and durability and which, struc-' turally considered, will be of' great simplicity.

()ther objects and advantages of the device will be obvious from the accompanying drawings, while still other'will be pointed out in the following description.

The invention resides broadly in the fea-V tures of construction and relative arrange- 'nient of the parts thereof, all as exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth.

In order that the invention may be clearly comprehended, drawings illustrating one of the possible embodiments and utilizations of the same are hereto appended as a part of this disclosure; it being understood that these drawings are merely illustrative and that other embodiments and utilizations,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 19 18.

Application filed May 31, 1917. Serial No. 171,981.

employing the underlying principles of the inventiomfall within the spirit thereof and within the objects contemplated thereby. In these drawings: 7 V

Figure '1 is a view in perspective of a rrnn s'rA'rEs PATENT OFFICE. i

clothes-pin constructed in accord-ance'with my invention; r 7 V V Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a similar view illustratinga tension-varying feature of the structure, one

position of the parts being illustrated "in 7 full lines, and' another position'thereof appearing in dotted lines; and 7 Fig. 4 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the reinforcing device detached from the pin; 7 V I Referring particularly to these drawings, the reference-numeral 1 designates, gener ally, a clothes-pin which, in thispartieular instance, is made of wood and is provided with the usual line-receiving slot 2 which divides one portion of the pin and presents spaced-apart prongs or members 3. The] pin may be of any requireddimension and a form; but, 'in'this example, it'is shown as cylindrical in form.

The pin is likewise formed with a second slot 4, preferably disposed at right-angles to the line-receiving slot, and extending, by preference, below the upper end of the linereceiving slot, as shown. I

Adapted to be disposed in is a reinforcing device 5. This comprises a body-portion 6, preferably havingflat sides,

W 'the slotfand to occupy a position at the bottom thereof,

from which extend wings or pin-engaging portions 7, preferably of a thickness less than that of the body-portion. These wings, preferably and as shown, are curved so as to conform approximately with the curved surfaces of'the pin to the end that they may more rightly embrace, such surfaces and thereby have their efliciency. correspondingly increased. It will be notedthat the bodyportionsof these wings are practically the same width-dimension, and are considerably Wider'than thethickness-dimension of the 7 device.

hen the reinforclng device is in its normal position in the slot provided for it in the pin, the wings extend considerably beyondthe edges of the slot and toward the" line-receiving slot By reason of the fact thatthese wings are of substantial width 7 and length, they embrace a considerable (but not the entire) portion of the surface of the pin between the line-receiving slot. Moreover, they so embrace said portions as to cause a limiting effect on the outward spreading movement of the same when the line is being forced up into its slot 2. The device, thus, becomes efiicient to prevent the normal tendency of the pin to split along a plane corresponding to the line-receiving slot; and, in fact, affords such reinforcement thereof as to. provide a pin: of greater strength than ordinary wooden pins. Moreover,'by reason of the thinness of the wings on the device, provision is thereby made for varying the amount of tension that may be applied thereon by the prongs while being spread apart. Moreover, according to the position of the device in the slot, this tension on the prongs may be varied, that is, increased or decreased. \Nhen the device is pushed down in the slot, the tension is in-. creased; whereas, when it occupies a position somewhat higher up, the tension is lessened.

- Iam aware of the fact that it has heretofore been proposed to provide reinforcing devices for clothes-pins; but so far as I am aware, it is new to provide a device of the particular character herein illustrated which has the function'of firmly bracing and reinforcing the weaker portion of the pin but, also, to efli'ecta varyingand spreading of the prongs according to the position which it occupies in its slot.

From the foregoing, it will be perceived that I have devised a clothes-pin which is well adapted to achieve the several objects and ends in View; and that the structure thereof is simple in form and efficient in use.

' thereof.

2. A clothes pin provided with a line receiving slot extending into the pin from one end thereof, with a brace-receiving slot extending into the pin from the other end thereof, and a brace member disposed in one of said slots.

3. A clothes pin provided witha line re ceiving slot extending into the pin from one end thereof, with a brace-receiving slot extending into the pin from the other end thereof, a brace member having a body portion adapted to. be disposed in the brace-receiving slot, and extended portions adapted to embrace a portion of the pin.

4. A clothes pin pro'vided with a line receivingslot extending into the pin from one 7 end thereof, with a brace receiving slotextending into the pin from the other end thereof, and communicating with the line receiving slot, a brace member having a body portion adapted to bcforced into the brace receiving slot from the end opposite the line receiving slot and disposed at the point of communication between the slot, and exten sions on the body portion adapted to embrace a portion of the pin, and extending inopposite directionsto a point adjacent the line receiving slot. y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, JAMES H. RUSSELL.

-Witnesses:

GERTRUDE W, HrN'rz,

GENEVIEVE G. RUSSELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

